The new landscape at the rail yards will extend the park’s distinctive design vocabulary established south of West 30th Street. Credit: James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro

Friends of the High Line Co-Founder Robert Hammond was joined by the New York City Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe and members of the High Line Design Team to present initial design concepts for Section 3 of the High Line, the final stretch of the historic freight rail line that has been converted to a public park, that will wrap around the Hudson Yards between West 30th and West 34th Streets.

The High Line at the rail yards wraps around the West Side Rail Yards, an active train yard for Long Island Rail Road. Image from Google Maps. Courtesy of Friends of the High Line.

The never-before-seen designs – created by the High Line Design Team of James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro – were presented at a community input meeting designed to encourage the public to share feedback and help shape the design of the High Line’s final section. The High Line at the rail yards wraps around an incredibly complex development site, and construction of portions of the park must be closely coordinated with construction at Hudson Yards. Specifically, construction of the 10th Avenue Spur will need to be closely coordinated with construction of the adjacent tower at the corner of West 30th Street and 10th Avenue, and is expected to open to the public 12 to 18 months after the rest of Section 3. The timeline for construction is subject to fundraising and the timing of capital funding required by zoning.

At the northern terminus of the High Line that is currently open to the public, visitors will see the 30th Street Passage to the east. Credit: James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro

With more than 12 million square feet of new office, residential, retail, and cultural uses planned for the site, Hudson Yards will create a new urban experience unlike anything seen in the Meatpacking District and West Chelsea.

As the High Line passes over 11th Avenue at West 30th Street, visitors will find lush plantings, groupings of bench seating, aunique play feature for kids. Credit: James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

The High Line’s concrete deck is removed, revealing the framework of the High Line’s original beams and girders, covered with a thick rubber safety coating, and transformed into a unique play feature for kids. Credit: James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

The High Line extends across the intersection of 10th Avenue and West 30th Street to connect with the Morgan Processing and Distribution Center. Credit: James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

The City of New York has also launched the public review process for a zoning text amendment that would set a framework for critical funding from the Related Companies for the portion of the High Line on the Eastern Rail Yards. The funding would cover approximately 30% of the estimated total cost of building the High Line’s final section.

The interim walkway will float above the existing, self-seeded landscape. Credit: James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

While the Eastern Rail Yards will be designed in a similar way as the High Line that is currently open to the public, the Western Rail Yards will feature an interim solution – a simple path through the existing landscape – that will allow the public to directly experience the self-sown grasses and wildflowers. Credit: James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

Additionally, Friends of the High Line is actively raising funds for the Campaign for the High Line, which supports the capital construction of the rail yards, as well as other capital projects, and the endowment for the park’s future maintenance and operations.

Last summer, The Tiffany & Co. Foundation generously made a $5 million challenge grant to the Campaign, and two long-time supporters of the High Line, Donald Pels and Wendy Keys, stepped forward with a $5 million grant of their own. Then in the fall, the Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation made a $20 million pledge – the largest pledge to a public park in New York City’s history. To date, Friends of the High Line has raised $38 million toward this phase of the Campaign for the High Line.

The estimated total cost of capital construction of the High Line at the rail yards is $90 million. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of 2013 with a full public opening in spring 2014.